The Challenge of Isaiah

The Challenge of Isaiah

Sermon, January 29, 2011

Rev. Dr. Craig S. Strobel

Isaiah 61:1-4


The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

   because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,

   to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
 
  and release to the prisoners; 
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour,
 
  and the day of vengeance of our God;
 
  to comfort all who mourn; 
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
 
  to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

   the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
 
  the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. 
They shall build up the ancient ruins,

   they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,

   the devastations of many generations.




One week ago Saturday, a group of over 20 people gathered in the Fireside Room to engage in an extraordinary act. We gathered to receive a vision from God. Now I suppose that putting it that way may sound a bit grandiose or that we had an inflated sense of ourselves. But the fact of the matter is this: we are a community of followers of Jesus Christ, so it behooves us to get instructions from our boss. And I believe that we did.
This is what we did: We first gathered in worship. We read three scriptures in which we heard what Jesus said his mission in the world was all about; and that Jesus gave that mission to us after his ascension into heaven; and that we would do even greater things. Wow! That’s what Jesus is expecting of us. So we got down to it, asked God to guide us and to speak to us and through us and give us a vision for our church. We did a lot of talking and thinking and dreaming and planning. This is what we came up with:
Purpose: the purpose of Pocatello First United Methodist Church is to build a caring community of Christians where we accept, renew and change lives by sharing God’s love in ways that make a difference in our world.


Objectives of the church:
1. Develop experiences that strengthen our connection and communication with one another and with God;
2. Empower the laity to witness to and to be the difference God has made in their lives;
3. Identify significant needs in our community and develop projects that address these needs.


This planning and visioning time was very important. I have been aware of a sense of dissatisfaction and uncertainty here in the congregation for a while. I wrote about this in the Tower and in the State of the Church article that I handed out at the Charge Conference in November, and that I have made available to anyone who wants to read it. In that report I stressed the need for a congregation-wide strategic planning so that we could have a common vision and sense of direction. 


We are in a time of rebuilding. We are rebuilding our Education program and our youth ministries. We are rebuilding our small group ministries. We need to rebuild our congregational care ministries. We have been in this mode for the last several years. It is easy in this midst of all this rebuilding to get discouraged and to feel like we are not getting anywhere.


The prophet Isaiah’s words this morning are directed to another group of people who were faced with a colossal rebuilding task: the people of Judah who were returning from 50 years of captivity in Babylon. The city was in ruins. The temple was devastated. Things were actually better back in Babylon. These words are meant to instill a renewed vision and hope and even enthusiasm to carry them along for the long haul. Basically God says, “I am in your rebuilding. I am doing it with you.”


It is important to have just such vision in the midst of rebuilding. We are in the midst of rebuilding and reviving ourselves. We can receive these words of Isaiah as if they are spoken to us directly. What do they tell us?


1. It is going to get better. Setbacks are only temporary if we place our trust in God, and if we dedicate ourselves to God’s work.
2. God is going to unleash us from the negative thoughts, fears and even blindness that has held us back. 
3. God is going to release into the joy of fellowship and working together, and growing in the Spirit of Christ.


But this vision from Isaiah is also directing us outward and giving us a vision for what our greater vision is: rebuilding and reviving the greater community around us. How can we extend our ministries further and take them to their logical conclusions? If people are hungry, what are the causes of their poverty? 


(Look at the objectives again of the church.) 


I don’t have all the answers. In fact, my main role is to pose these questions and guide a process whereby all of our creative energy is focused and directed. 


Next week, Jesus gives us guidance when he gives his State of the Union Address.